There were times during Josiah St. John’s first season of junior college football when he would have oatmeal for breakfast.

That may not sound like an earth-shattering tidbit, but it is when you consider some days it was the only thing the 6-foot-6, 308-pound offensive lineman ate.

“And you’d just go to sleep hungry,” St. John said Friday afternoon in a ballroom at the Park Hyatt Hotel. “I had a couple of good friends who, when I really, really needed it, they came through for me, but some days there was no food in the fridge and I had to survive.”

Those pangs of hunger were the price St. John, who is the third-rated prospect at this weekend’s CFL combine, was willing to pay to make his college football dreams come true. After completing his studies at Pickering (Ont.) High School, St. John was going to the U.S. to play college ball no matter what.

“It came from watching on TV,” St. John said. “I remember watching Reggie Bush and those guys on TV. I’m like, man, I would love to play Division I football. Seeing the stands and the stadium and the big time college sports and watching the combine, I wanted to be a part of that stuff.”

A commitment to a junior college in New York state fell through, so St. John packed his belongings and headed to California to enrol at Fresno City College in the fall of 2011 without having seen it or even having met the coaches.

“A leap of faith,” he called it. He ended up living more than half an hour from the campus, and cash flow was an issue because he wasn’t allowed to receive scholarship money and was paying the out-of-state tuition.

“It was expensive there, so sometimes it was hard to get food when I needed it,” St. John said. “But that’s what junior college is. Junior college is a grind, and only the strong survive. That’s what I take pride in.”

Even though he went hungry some days, St. John has no regrets about his decision. There were nights, of course, when he had second thoughts, but he distinctly remembers sitting in an outdoor hot tub at the football facility, looking up at the palm trees and smiling.

“I realized how blessed I was to be in the position I was in,” St. John said.

The big man’s play at left tackle for Fresno City earned him a full ride at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas, where they could offer scholarships, so he made the move east even though he was happy in California. His second year of junior college play had NCAA Division I schools beating down his door, and he became the first Canadian to commit to the University of Oklahoma.

He started four games last fall, struggling against Texas in the Sooners’ only loss of the year, and appeared in 15 overall during his two campaigns. Despite the roller-coaster ride on the field, St. John loved every minute of it. It really hit him that he was living his football dream just before his first start, at right tackle against Tennessee on Sept. 12.

“Before the game I looked up in the stands and was like, this is crazy. I’m here right now,” St. John said. “I got on the field quite a bit, and it was a great experience.”

St. John participated in Oklahoma’s pro day on Wednesday, so he won’t be doing any testing Saturday or taking part in the on-field activities Sunday. Even though he would love an NFL shot, he would have no problem playing anywhere in the three-down loop.

“I always dreamed of playing in the NFL, but I’m not looking at the CFL as a second option at all,” he said. “It’s a great, growing organization. It’s a great, growing league. I would be honoured to play in the CFL, and I’d be honoured to be the first overall pick in the CFL if they would give that to me. I’m not complaining about it all. I’m happy with where I am right now.”

BEING A SOONER IS BETTER

As the first Canuck to play for the Oklahoma Sooners football team, Josiah St. John immediately became the squad’s Canadian ambassador.

If they heard about anything to do with the Great White North, they immediately went to the big tackle to get the goods.

And, of course, they made fun of him a little bit, too.

“They messed with me every once in a while, joking around about Canada, but they definitely embraced the culture,” St. John said. “I played my music in there sometimes, and I’d tell them about Drake and all those guys ... So Drake, if you see this, man, hit me up.”

On the other hand, St. John often ended up pinching himself when former Oklahoma players such as Adrian Peterson, Trent Williams and NBA star Blake Griffin returned to campus. He’s bound to run into a few of those types when he returns to Norman, Okla., to resume his training after conducting interviews with CFL teams this weekend.

St. John, who is No. 3 on the most current CFL Scouting Bureau list, enjoyed plenty of success with the Sooners, as they won the Sugar Bowl during his red shirt season of 2013 and played in the Orange Bowl against Clemson on Dec. 31 in the semifinal round of the college football playoff.

It appears the Pickering, Ont., product also started a bit of a Canadian trend at Oklahoma, as defensive tackle Neville Gallimore of St. Catharines, Ont., spent last season as a red shirt but is ready to make his mark at the Big 12 school this mark.

CFL prospect Josiah St. John plays hunger games at NCAA

There were times during Josiah St. John’s first season of junior college football when he would have oatmeal for breakfast.

That may not sound like an earth-shattering tidbit, but it is when you consider some days it was the only thing the 6-foot-6, 308-pound offensive lineman ate.

“And you’d just go to sleep hungry,” St. John said Friday afternoon in a ballroom at the Park Hyatt Hotel. “I had a couple of good friends who, when I really, really needed it, they came through for me, but some days there was no food in the fridge and I had to survive.”

Those pangs of hunger were the price St. John, who is the third-rated prospect at this weekend’s CFL combine, was willing to pay to make his college football dreams come true. After completing his studies at Pickering (Ont.) High School, St. John was going to the U.S. to play college ball no matter what.